2/12/16 Pharisees’ Turn

The Pharisees, though disappointed to see another trap fail, are glad to see the Sadducees put in their place. No evidence to support the resurrection of the dead, indeed! They huddle together for a moment, putting together a quick plan, then make their way over to Jesus. One of the Pharisees in the group is a student of Gamaliel and considered to be an expert in Mosaic law. He winks at his fellow Pharisees, confident that this will work. “Oh, Rabbi,” he says to Jesus, “Tell us, out of all the Commandments God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai, what is the greatest?” Jesus replies, “The greatest Commandment is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God. And you are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. This is the Commandment that supersedes all others, and no other Commandment can be followed the way God intended without first following that one. But there is another Commandment, second in importance and very much like the first – that you should love your neighbor just like you love yourself. All of Mosaic law, and indeed everything the prophets taught, is based on these two Commandments.”